It seems to be becoming a common theme for us to hit on two out of three of our NBA tips, which is exactly what happened once again on Thursday. Our two winning plays on the Mavericks and Kings were both very comfortable, but unfortunately the Nuggets fell two points short of their spread to deny us a perfect day. We now shift our focus to the five game slate on Saturday and look to continue to provide our followers with profitable tips. Good luck to everyone following!
NBA Betting Tips Saturday February 2nd
Memphis Grizzlies @ Charlotte Hornets (11am AEDT)
The first game of the day sees the Grizzlies travelling to Charlotte to take on the Hornets. The Hornets won the first meeting between these teams this season in Memphis by 11 points (118-107). This will be the final time these teams see each other this season.
The Grizzlies are an absolute basket case at the moment as their season just continues to go from bad to worse. They’ve won just five of their last 27 games and rank in the bottom three in the league for win/loss in that stretch. Things don’t look like getting better anytime soon for the Grizzlies either with recent news stating that both Marc Gasol and Mike Conley are potentially on the way out.
Meanwhile, the Hornets are in decent shape after winning five of their last eight games, but are coming off a really tough loss to the Celtics last time out (126-94). They now get to return home however, where they're a really impressive 17-8 on the season.
Considering the Hornets got the better of the Grizzlies on the road just over a week ago, plus the contrast in form, we don’t see any reason why the Hornets won’t win this one really comfortably. They’re a great home team and the city is buzzing at the moment with the All-Star game in Charlotte just around the corner.
Charlotte Hornets -4.5
$1.92
Boston Celtics @ New York Knicks (11am AEDT)
Second up for the day we’re taking a keen interest in the Boston Celtics at New York Knicks match-up. These two Eastern Conference rivals have already played three times this season, meaning their clash on Saturday will be the fourth and final meeting this campaign. The Celtics currently lead the series 2-1 and won their most recent meeting by 28 points in Boston (128-100).
There’s been a lot of talk surrounding the Celtics camp over the past couple of weeks, but that certainly hasn’t affected their results in any way, shape, or form. They’ve won seven of their last eight games and are coming off a dominant 126-94 win over the Hornets. They’ve also been given a massive boost in their top four pursuit with the injury to Pacers star Victor Oladipo.
On the other hand, the Knicks are going through some massive changes to their playing roster. They’ve just dealt Kristaps Porzingis + three other role players to the Mavericks in exchange for Dennis Smith Jr, DeAndre Jordan and Wes Matthews. It’ll be interesting to see how it all pans out, but the newly added trio will likely not feature in this one.
The already terrible Knicks roster will be even thinner and less talented for this match-up with the Celtics. We expect nothing less than a Celtic demolition job.
Boston Celtics -13.5
$1.92
Houston Rockets @ Denver Nuggets (2pm AEDT)
The final game of the Saturday slate is a tasty one with the Houston Rockets travelling to the Mile High city to take on the Denver Nuggets. Interestingly, the Rockets have won both meetings between these teams this season, meaning the Nuggets must win this contest to avoid losing the four game regular season series.
The Rockets have welcomed back most of their injured stars and have looked a little better for it. They’ve won three of their last five, although their most recent game was a bizarre loss to an undermanned Pelicans outfit. It’ll be interesting to see how their battered up roster goes in this upcoming road trip as they look to stay in touch with the top four in the West.
For the Nuggets, well they just continue to stack up the win column. They’ve won each of their last four games and are beginning to prove all the doubters wrong about their ability to maintain success. Superstar centre Nikola Jokic has also just been named an All-Star, which is a huge boost for the city of Denver.
The Rockets may have the majority of their list back in action, but their fitness will be well and truly tested in the trying conditions that Denver’s altitude presents. We also question their ability to defend Jokic without Capela available for selection. For these reasons, we’re more than happy to recommend a play on the Nuggets spread here.
Denver Nuggets -4.5
$1.92
